As promised in my previous article Parallel Cards Series Part One: Michael Jordan Refractorsthis article will take a look at the varying flavors of Michael Jordan parallel cards which were (officially and unofficially!) part of the 1997-98 Topps Finest set. Apologies for the delay in getting this article online – time hasn’t been too available lately to add to the site but hopefully more updates will be forth coming in the near future.

First off I highly recommend you read the article linked above if you haven’t already. It will give you a good understanding of the goals I have for the parallel cards series and make sure you know from which point this article is intended as a continuation.

So now that we’ve got the background and introduction out of the way let’s get into the good stuff and check out some awesome Jordans! We’ll start with the base cards of this set on which the parallels we are discussing are based.

1997-98 Finest Michael Jordan Base Cards

Within the 1997-98 Topps Finest base set there were four Michael Jordan cards. These were:

#39 Bronze ‘Finishers’ base card

#154 Gold ‘Masters’ base card

#227 Bronze ‘Show Stoppers’ base card

#287 Silver ‘Creators’ base card

97-98 Michael Jordan
Topps Finest Base
Bronze Finishers

97-98 Michael Jordan
Topps Finest Base
Gold Masters

97-98 Michael Jordan
Topps Finest Base
Bronze Showstoppers

97-98 Michael Jordan
Topps Finest Base
Silver Creators

These cards feature Topps Finest’s highly reflective surface and bright coloring along with the protective plastic coating that we have enjoyed since the brand’s second basketball set in the 1994-95 season. A key point here is that these are the base cards of the set. Although they are termed bronze, silver and gold they are not parallels themselves – the terms are simply used to help differentiate between the four cards. (Note though that the gold card is rarer than the others having been inserted at a rate of one in 24 packs.)

These cards are commonly available for sale on eBay at fairly inexpensive prices (approximately $30 for the gold and less then $5 for the others) so if you’re interested in checking them out have a look at the link below:

1997-98 Topps Finest Michael Jordan Embossed Cards

The first of the parallel inserts of this set we will look at are the embossed cards. These are not refractors themselves but as you’ll see below need to be discussed to help you understand the cards available in this series.

The 1997-98 Topps Finest Embossed cards are parallel inserts inserted into packs at a rate of one in 96 packs. The cards are:

#154 Gold ‘Masters’ Embossed Die Cut card

#287 Silver ‘Creators’ Embossed card

97-98 Michael Jordan
Topps Finest Embossed
Die Cut Gold Masters

97-98 Michael Jordan
Topps Finest Embossed
Silver Creators

There are several key points to note about the 1997-98 Finest Embossed parallel cards:

As above, the embossed parallel cards where only produced for the gold and silver base cards.

These cards featured an embossed imprint (similar to that of a basketball) which leaves a reverse indentation on the back of the card.

The gold embossed card additionally features a very nice die cut around the shape of the basketball in the background. Note how much smaller the basketball is compared to the standard card to allow for this die cut feature.

Unlike other cards in the 1997-98 Topps Finest series, the embossed cards do not feature a protective coating. This is due to the raised embossing on the front of the card.

These cards a fairly commonly available for sale – the gold embossed card sells for around $50 and the silver embossed card for $5. If you’re interested in adding these to your collection check out:

This website is in no way affilliated with Michael Jordan nor any past or present trading card manufacturers including Upper Deck, Topps, Fleer and Skybox. It is purely a Michael Jordan cards fan website and collector’s resource. Images of cards are provided for informative and critical use only. All works are copyright their respective owners.